


Scar Tissue

by musiquetta



Series: Thinkfast Week [1]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 14:18:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2153715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiquetta/pseuds/musiquetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>David and Tommy have their first anniversary. Tommy doesn't care. He doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scar Tissue

**Author's Note:**

> Something to make up for the one I didn't finish in time to post today. Self-indulgent Tommy feels, basically.

Tommy doesn't expect David to remember.

 

It's no big deal.

 

It _isn't._

 

Or so Tommy keeps telling himself as he's waiting at the place where they usually get coffee before work. This morning he woke up an hour before his alarm clock usually rings with a headache from tossing himself around all night.

 

**

 

Last night they were watching a movie at David's apartment as the clock was ticking towards midnight.

 

Towards their first anniversary.

 

Not that Tommy thought it mattered much, because it didn't. They were happy, so what did it matter how long they were together?

 

So the plan was this: when the clock would strike midnight – or maybe five minutes after? Ten? An hour? – Tommy would nudge David and make a throwaway comment like 'Hey, look at the date. Happy anniversary, you nerd' and they they'd kiss and finish the movie and go to bed without making a big deal out of it.

 

Or maybe they'd go to bed before midnight rolled around and the sun would wake them up in the morning, cuddled against each other, because they always end up all over each other, no matter how they fall asleep. David would kiss him and smile and wish Tommy a happy anniversary and tell him he loved him.

 

And maybe he'd forget, but that'd be cool, too. They both have a lot on their mind, being superheroes with a job, and like Tommy said, what does it matter how long they're together as long they're happy?

 

Except Tommy loves it when David kisses him in the morning when they're still half asleep, arms and legs entwined and reluctant to move out of the cocoon of warmth under the covers, fingers gently caressing skin until David metaphorically puts his foot down and insists they get up unless they want to be late for work. Tommy always protests and sees it as his personal calling to delay David as long as possible. One day, he'd promised himself, he is going to make David be late and not regret a single thing about it.

 

Those were the things that mattered, not whether David remembered what day it was. Maybe tomorrow would be a lazy morning like that, maybe it wouldn't be.

 

Either way, he didn't stick around to find out.

 

His stupid traitorous brain kept coming up with what could happen and he could only take so many scenarios of David smiling and wishing him a happy anniversary, in whatever simple or elaborate ways that would never happen, before he'd lost it.

 

At around ten he couldn't take it anymore and grabbed his jacket from where he'd thrown it over the back of the sofa. The movie they were watching – whatever the hell it was about, Tommy had no clue – was only about halfway through. David frowned at him.

 

“You're not staying the night?” he asked, confused and justifiably so. These days they rarely slept apart and when they did it was usually because Tommy had taken off for some reason or another.

 

“Yeah,” he said and shrugged. “I just gotta … go.” David nodded, pausing the movie to look at him. Tommy squirmed.

 

“Are you okay?” David asked. It was a simple enough question except it wasn't. What David was really asking was whether David had done something to upset Tommy – which he hadn't. Not yet at least. – and Tommy was running off.

 

“Yeah, I'm good, I just – ” He made a vague gesture and his eyes flitted towards the clock. “See you tomorrow?”

 

David nodded and leaned forward to kiss him.

 

**

 

And the thing is, Tommy had been working on his tendency to try and outrun bad feelings, had in the past even realized that it was good to talk to David. And he _had_ gotten better. A year ago he would have taken off for Australia at least five times on his way here and yet here he was.

 

Progress!

 

All he needs to do now is clear his head, think of something else, and not take his crappy need for attention out on David. Today is just another day.

 

“It doesn't matter.” he mutters to himself.

 

“What doesn't matter?” David's voice comes from behind him. Just his luck.

 

“Nothing.” Tommy says, way too quick to fool David. David slides into the chair opposite of him.

 

“I guess you could say nothing doesn't matter.” David teases, signaling the waitress to bring them their usual order. Tommy's lips curl into a forced smile. He feels panic rising in his throat. So far he's doing a piss poor job of acting like it's just another day.

 

“Tommy.” David says in his authority voice. Not the authority voice, not today. “Do we need to talk?”

 

Tommy lets out an internal scream. The day had just started and he already screwed it up.

 

The waitress brought them their coffee, greeting them cheerfully, giving Tommy a crucial window to get his shit together. All too soon she is gone and David's eyes are upon him again.

 

“Tommy.” he repeats. Tommy rubs his forehead.

 

“This isn't about us.” he says and it's true. This isn't about them, this is about Tommy needing someone to constantly hold his hand and mother him. David frowns.

 

“Is that supposed to make me care less?” Tommy looks away, anywhere but David. “Tommy, if something is wrong I want to know, whether it involves me or not.”

 

“Nothing is wrong, I just – I'm having a bad day is all.” he says and hopes it's true. David eyes him carefully.

 

“Promise?” he asks and Tommy nods, lips curled in an awry grin.

 

“Promise.” Tommy echoes, twirling his spoon in his mug.

 

“You kind of worried me yesterday. I wasn't sure you would be here today.” David admits, picking up his coffee, gently blowing air over the steaming liquid.

 

“Sorry about that.” Tommy murmurs. “I was – I just – ”

 

He doesn't really know what to say. David looks at him from over the brim of his mug. He sets it down as Tommy opens and closes his mouth, still struggling for words.

 

“I don't need you to explain, I just need you to let me help when I can.” David says. Tommy takes a shaky breath and nods. His coffee is rapidly cooling in front of him but he's not really in the mood for it. David is still looking at him, eyes searching for something.

 

“I know it's not – ” he starts and lets the sentence hang. Tommy frowns. “Are you going to be here this weekend?” David asks. _Or will you be off God knows where with me at home without a clue what's wrong?_ Tommy's brain adds unhelpfully.

 

“Yeah,” Tommy says, hoping it's not a lie. “of course I will be.”

 

“Then, if you wanted, we could – ” David's rummaging through his pockets, pulling out an envelope. “You'll probably think it's silly or something but I have – I thought it might be nice to do something this weekend?”

 

“Sure, why not.” Tommy says, eyes curiously fixed on the white envelope David is currently holding while chewing his lip.

 

“It could be just a vacation, if you don't like making a fuss about such things but – here.” David hands it over and Tommy has to force himself not to use superspeed to reach for it. Gingerly he turns it around. There in David's neat, curly handwriting 'Happy Anniversary' is written.

 

Tommy lets out a shaky breath, lips curling into a happy smile.

 

“You big sap.” he says and David laughs nervously.

 

“Like I said, it could just be a vacation, I just thought it might be nice to get away for a bit.” Tommy opens the envelope. It contains hotel reservations and –

 

“Train tickets?” Tommy teases.

 

“If we're going on vacation I'm not riding piggyback. That's the opposite of relaxing.” David states, finishing his coffee. Tommy chuckles.

 

“So?” David asks. Tommy raises his eyebrows.

 

“What?”

 

“Are you coming?” Tommy ignores the momentary jab at the doubt in David's eyes.

 

“Of course.” he says, closing the envelope again, thumb tracing over the letters on the front. When he looks up David is smiling at him.

 

“Good. That's good.” David says, tension leaving his shoulders.

 

“And David?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Happy anniversary to you, too.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Tommy's POV is hard. Let me know what you think! I'm [here](http://cptcarol.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.


End file.
